10 skills and qualities that make a great healthcare assistant

As a healthcare assistant with Pulse, you’ll have the chance to make a real difference in people’s lives. Within the fulfilling role, you’ll work with many different people, often in different settings, providing them with the care and support that they need to be as comfortable as possible.  

At Pulse, when recruiting healthcare assistants, our ideal professionals have a certain set of skills and qualities. Within this blog, we have outlined these skills and qualities along with information on how to apply for healthcare assistant vacancies that we currently have available.  

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Healthcare assistant skills and qualities

When recruiting for healthcare assistants, our team always looks for professionals who possess the following skills and qualities:  

1. Effective communication skills
2. An empathetic and sympathetic manner
3. Dedication and reliability
4. A passion for supporting people
5. Organisation
6. Good observation skills
7. Patience
8. Confidence
9. A positive attitude
10. Quick learning skills

1. Effective communication skills

As a healthcare assistant, you need to be able to communicate with people from all walks of life, who are undergoing different treatments for a range of conditions. This includes being able to communicate well non-verbally to those you are providing with care and support.

As part of the role, you also need to be able to sensitively pass on information about people’s health to patients, family members, loved ones and other people in their lives. Healthcare assistants must also be able to relay information to senior members of healthcare teams, to help manage care plans and keep everyone informed on changing situations.

2. An empathetic and sympathetic manner

In your role as a healthcare assistant, you need to have a good understanding of people’s positions when you’re caring for them, putting their needs first. It is part of your responsibility to make each day as good as it can be for patients, helping them to feel cared for through your attitude as well as the duties you perform. This means showing an interest in and actively listening to them.

Compassion and sensitivity are also essential, as you will be working with people at potentially difficult moments in their lives, where they need treatment or additional care and support.

Healthcare assistants also need to have empathy and sympathy towards the people in their patients’ lives, being mindful of how they are impacted.

3. Dedication and reliability

The qualities of a good healthcare assistant also include dedication and reliability. You need to be punctual and enthusiastic about supporting your colleagues in adhering to healthcare plans.  

Also, when people are relying on you for support, you need to be committed to being there for them and delivering high standards of care at all times.

4. A passion for supporting people

Being passionate about helping people to live as well as possible is another crucial quality to possess as a healthcare assistant.  

You will have a direct and intensive role in the everyday experiences of patients and will be helping people who are looking to get better, stay as well as possible or maintain independence. As such, you need to love making a difference in people’s lives and thrive on being an integral part of their support system. This passion and drive should also extend to supporting the family and friends in patients’ lives.

5. Organisation

When looking after patients and being involved in their care, you need to be highly organised. This quality is crucial to most of the tasks you’ll carry out as a healthcare assistant, as you help to maintain order and patient safety while ensuring everything runs smoothly for other team members. 

It is also a valuable quality to have as you will often be performing duties such as organising records, helping keep areas tidy within hospitals, people’s homes, or other healthcare settings; and liaising with different healthcare providers, relatives, and other people in patients’ lives.

6. Good observation skills

As a healthcare assistant, you must be capable of monitoring people’s mental and physical states. If changes are identified, it is then important that you can communicate these changes to other medical professionals and family members. As part of your role, you must also be able to interpret information within reports and other key literature corresponding to someone’s care.

7. Patience

Patience is also high on the list of skills and qualities that healthcare assistants need to possess.

For some of the people you care for, it may take longer to perform tasks and they may need more detailed explanations. The people you are supporting may also feel stressed or confused at times. Being able to remain patient and calm, while persevering with a professional and compassionate attitude, is an important skill to have while working as a healthcare assistant.

8. Confidence

In your role, you’ll often have to be able to handle your duties autonomously. As patients rely on you for many aspects of their daily care, it is crucial that you feel confident delivering the right care and support when it is needed.

As a healthcare assistant, you’ll also be interacting with people at all levels, which can include senior healthcare workers, external professionals, or patients’ loved ones. You need to be able to communicate important information clearly and effectively, while also having the confidence to speak up if you notice any changes to a patient’s health or wellbeing.

9. A positive attitude

Another crucial healthcare assistant quality is positivity. It is important to understand that people, from patients to family members, can become discouraged when they are in distress. Your strength and positivity can be infectious and make a real difference in how they feel.

Being positive can also impact other members of your team. Working alongside enthusiastic and supportive colleagues can improve both job performance and satisfaction and in turn, have a positive impact on patients.

10. Quick learning skills

As this role puts you on the first steps to progressing in healthcare, you have plenty of opportunities to pick up new skills.

You need to be able to quickly learn as much as possible about your patients once you are assigned to them, to understand the full picture of their current health and medical history.

When working with Pulse, you’ll also be given the choice to work shifts across various different healthcare settings. This makes it important for you to be able to adapt to new environments and patient groups quickly so that you can deliver top-quality care as swiftly as possible.

Healthcare assistant opportunities with Pulse

At Pulse, we care about placing you in the perfect role and have over 30 years’ experience working with compassionate healthcare professionals and some of the largest healthcare providers in the UK. When working with us, we’ll give you the flexibility to choose how and when you work and the opportunity to exceed your career goals, with ongoing support from our dedicated team. 

Register with Pulse today to get started and browse the latest healthcare assistant vacancies that are currently available to you.